The present invention relates to a safety lever or bar incorporated in a control linkage for controlling remote devices attached to a vehicle and more specifically relates to a safety lever which is selectively operable for preventing accidental operation of a control lever, as when the operator is moving between the vehicle seat and the doorway of the cab.
Control levers that are positioned within a cab so as to be convenient to reach from the seat of the vehicle are often an obstacle to operator entry and exit, and when bumped, can initiate operation of a controlled device, thus creating a safety hazard. U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,867 issued on Sept. 19, 1972 to Bradshaw is directed to solving the problem of this safety hazard. Thus, the Bradshaw patent discloses a safety lever movable between a transmission-unlocking position wherein the safety lever is disposed so as to block the exit of an operator from a vehicle seat and a locking position wherein the safety lever no longer blocks the exit of the operator, the lever then being positioned so as to lock the transmission shift lever in a neutral position. Means are provided in conjunction with the safety lever for neutralizing the transmission shift lever if it is in another position besides neutral when the safety lever is moved from its unlocking position to its locking position.
One drawback of the Bradshaw device is that even though the safety lever acts to lock the transmission linkage in its neutral position, the shift lever still remains an obstacle to the movement of the operator when exiting or entering the cab.